


Take Them

by Daerwyn



Series: A Collection of Drabbles by Helmaninquiel [10]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-27
Updated: 2015-10-27
Packaged: 2018-04-28 11:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5089199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daerwyn/pseuds/Daerwyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Imagine Fili and Sigrid having a secret relationship.</p><p> Imagine exploring Erebor with Fili and getting lost.</p><p> Imagine accidentally calling Thorin “uncle” but he approves of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take Them

Sigrid craved the day that supplies needed to be run to Erebor. She practically counted them down, like her sister had always done for trivial things that she had long since outgrown. But Sigrid didn’t care how childish it seemed. She had to bite her tongue to keep from restraining herself before her father even finished his sentence - “Erebor’s supplies are due today.”

“I’ll take them, father,” Sigrid spoke before her siblings could even try to volunteer. Tilda sighed dramatically, deflating, but you all knew Tilda was much too young to be going to Erebor by herself. It was a three mile walk, and an even longer walk inside. Bard did not even seem surprised by the offer, and instead sent her a warm look of amusement.

“Perhaps we should make you the produce deliverer,” Bard teased his eldest, and he pulled her in for a one armed hug, kissing the top of her head, before moving to the door. “Now, Sigrid, you know where to meet. But you two need to be good. Stay out of trouble. I don’t want to hear from Mrs. Entwash again that you have been peeping into her laundry piles.”

“We were trying to keep a frog from going in there.” But even Sigrid couldn’t keep the eyeroll from showing in her effort not to believe them. Tilda and Bain waited until their father had left before they began the teasing.

“You know you’ll have to tell him about the lucky man eventually,” Tilda insisted. “You can’t keep spending all day in there. Eventually they’ll be able to get their own food and things.”

Sigrid groaned, sinking into the chair beside her sister. “I know, but Da hates the dwarves. And especially after the whole event with the dragon-”

“But he didn’t set the dragon loose,” Bain helpfully pointed out.

“He’s still a dwarf!”

“And a prince,” Tilda piped up. Sigrid just groaned, her sibling’s words of encouragement doing little to ease the queasiness she felt with the prospect of telling her father about her courtship. Or her courtship if they ever became a public couple. Right now only Bain and Tilda knew, as did Fili’s brother. But no one else. Well, she suspected there were others, but not to her knowledge. Her and Fili weren’t exactly discreet when they talked with one another.

Her morning trek led her to the gates of Erebor by early afternoon, as it often did. She always was allowed to stay the night, as the sky usually got dark by the time she was able to turn around (inventory on the food always took a while). And she always left at first light in the morning.

But as she saw Fili waiting for her at the gates, grinning like a fool, she had a feeling that today was going to be a different change of pace. She excused herself from the dwarves documenting away, picking up her skirts as she stepped over a few rocks left over from the battle months ago. And she smiled back towards the blonde prince, giggling as he bent lowly in a bow. She returned the sentiment with a curtsey.

“Your Highness.”

“Your Highness,” he returned.

She often forgot about her new status as Princess of Dale, after her father was named the King of it. But she merely gave Fili a small shrug as if shedding herself of the formalities. “You don’t usually greet me grinning like a loon.”

“I’ve been happy to see you,” Fili insisted. He reached out a hand, taking hers with a kiss to her knuckles (which she responded by blushing brilliantly) and pulling her away from the gates, into the vast kingdom that glowed in all shades of gold and green.

“Have you redecorated?” Fili shot her an amused look, before tugging her deeper into the halls, past dwarves much shorter than she, and dwarves nearer her height. “What are you doing? Where are we going? Fili!” He would not answer, not until they were in a dark hall that she had never been in before.

“I’ve come up with a brilliant idea.”

“Your last brilliant idea had me covered in soot and the poor maids spent hours cleaning my clothing before I was sent back. I felt properly horrible-”

“This one won’t get you dirty, I promise.” Sigrid gave him an uneasy look. “We’ll go exploring. You’ve yet to see the splendors of Erebor. Just a quick peak of it all, before you retire for the evening-”

“Fee,” Sigrid said quietly, chewing on her lip. He tugged her closer, so that they were more level with their height, and she sighed. “You promise we won’t get lost?”

“I promise. It’ll be fun.”

Sigrid glanced down the dark hallway, and he lit a torch in his hand, making the room be illuminated with their massive shadows. “We already started, didn’t we?”

“These are the great halls of the Kings!” Fili insisted, his voice echoing. Sigrid giggling, his grip on her hand never faltering as he slowly walked her through it, his voice loud enough for anyone closeby to hear. “I was told great stories of this hall. This is where coronations happen. They dress it up really nice, and those stairs over there lead to the throne room, where we just came from. A royal walk to the throne, as per ceremony. And then here we’ve got a painting of Durin himself. You’ll have to excuse the dust, of course. We haven’t gotten around to finishing cleaning the place yet.”

Sigrid laughed quietly, but twisted her fingers so that they intertwined with his, and their steps were quiet as Fili continued, getting more excited with each room they passed. Until the stories became so ridiculous that she was sure he was making them up.

“Fee, they couldn’t have rode into battle naked. They would have had absolutely no armor!” But the giggles made her lose her composure and Fili turned, smirking at her.

“They did, you can even ask Uncle.” But once her giggles subsided with the ridiculous thought, she realized that Fili looked confused. “Huh… I could have sworn we were in the east hall. But this isn’t familiar.”

“Fili?”

“It must be the next room.” In hindsight, she should have stopped them there and had them turn around while they knew the location. But instead, she let him lead her through the next few rooms, where his confusion turned to concern. And her stomach sank. “At least we’re having fun.”

“Fili, are we lost?”

“Of course not, Sig. We’re fine.” Sigrid stared at him a moment and he sighed. “Fine. Lost? yes. Forever? No.”

Sigrid groaned. “Fili-”

“We’ll find civilization again, don’t worry. And there’s nothing lurking here, everything’s been thoroughly checked through and all the bodies have been done away with-”

Sigrid felt her eyes widen, and she glanced around them quickly, almost in a panic. “Bodies!? Why would there be bodies?”

“Some people didn’t make it out of the city when the dragon came,” Fili said after a few seconds of hesitation. “But it’s okay, Uncle made sure everyone was found and given a proper burial.”

Suddenly being lost had lost all of its appeal. “I want out of here right now.”

“Right,” Fili said firmly, as if taking her plea as an order, and he her soldier. “Follow me, my Lady.” So she trusted him to lead her through a maze of rooms. That is, she trusted his sense of direction until they reached a dead end. “Huh… okay, so we’ll just try to retrace our steps.”

“Fili?” He hummed as he dragged her on, and though her feet ached (she was wearing heels, for crying out loud, not hiking boots), she kept following. She had no choice now. He was her hope of finding a way out of here without dying. The torch in his hand moved away from his face as he turned, glancing at her. “Are we going to die down here?”

“No. But I suppose we could sit and think about our bearings.”

Sigrid sighed, but agreed as they came across a small alcove. She stretched her legs in front of her, wiggling her toes in her shoes, as Fili murmured to himself about the directions. “Kili said take a left at the silver hall and you’ll get to the east, where the good men feast.”

“Kili gave you these directions? Did he know you were dragging me into this?”

“Undoubtedly.”

She stared at him. “I think he intended for us to get lost.” Fili seemed to agree.

“I’m sorry. I trusted him when he said this would be a fun idea you’d enjoy.”

“I did enjoy it, until we became trapped in a never-ending maze,” Sigrid said quietly, with a hint of humor in her voice as she glanced towards Fili, looking dejected. She took his hand once more, her fingers entwining with his large, rough ones from years of hard work, and her own were calloused from work, but not like his. His were so rough that they felt like sand, like his beard when he would give her a hug in farewell, and it would tickle her neck and shoulder. And Fili glanced to it, his eyes softening. “Can you explain to me hair braiding again, while we rest?”

Fili perked up slightly, and she smiled to herself, before closing her eyes, listening to him speak as she leaned against the cool wall.

“Well, you see, now, Sig, braids can mean a lot of things. But you typically get your first braid for accomplishments. For instance, mother braided my hair for the first time when I was thirty for finishing my sword lessons. And then again for archery.” Sigrid knew thirty was equivalent to Tilda’s own age in their culture, and she listened the more he spoke, delving into courtship braids. “Now, when a dwarf likes a dwarrowdam, or any lass - even lad, really, there’s no discrimination there - they braid each other’s hair and put the intended’s house sigils braid bead in. So, for instance, if I were to ever braid your hair, I’d put a Durin bead in, and you in turn would put the sigil of Girion in mine.” The ancestor that had tried to take down Smaug, but failed. “And it would be simple, of course, nothing too extravagant. Have you seen Dori’s? Now, those are braids. But no, it would be much like Thorin’s. And of course, there’s different stages of courtship braids. One lone braid for the first year, and more braids are added for each decade together. Now, mother would have to make do without her own braids in my hair, but a grown man can’t be sporting a braid from his mother when he has a wife. That is just plain embarrassing.”

Sigrid giggled. “Oh, surely.”

He hummed. “And of course, you’d have to meet her first. She’s lovely, and I know you’ll love her. And she already loves you from what I’ve written in letters. You’re practically everything she wants in a daughter-”

Sigrid started in surprise. “You told your mother about me?”

“Of course I have.”

Oh. Sigrid winced, closing her eyes. “I don’t know if I can tell Da. He’s not overly fond of dwarves, and… and Bain and Tilda know, of course, but Da would forbid me from ever coming here again. I want to tell him, but I do not want to stop seeing you.”

“If he locks you in a tower, I guess I will just have to come rescue you.”

Sigrid giggled, glancing towards him. “Where-ever came you by that strange conclusion he’d lock me in a tower? Is that common for dwarves?”

“Fairy stories,” Fili explained. “The princess is locked in a tower to be rescued by a prince.” She hummed, understanding. “You’ve never heard them?”

“Da did his best, but he was so tired from working all day, that I was the one that would put Tilda and Bain to bed,” she admitted. “Ma died before I was told many stories to remember.”

“I’m sorry.”

“How far into a courtship do braids occur?”

Fili hesitated slightly, and Sigrid wondered why once he spoke. “Usually once they become official.”

Oh. “I did not know-”

“It wasn’t a cultural norm for you, don’t worry.” Sigrid merely gave a nod, frowning. “Do you really think your father will be that upset?”

“I don’t know. Da’s the best Da I could ever have, truly. And I know he loves me and Tilda and Bain. But … he also hasn’t quite forgiven you guys for burning down our house, you know. Or having a dragon crash into it. Or a war because your lot refused to pay us what you promised.” Fili winced.

“Yeah, we do have that.” But he lifted his hands, kissing at her knuckles, making her flush slightly. “I have no doubt that he’d be alright with it.”

“But if he’s not?”

“Life is about risks. I didn’t go to the top of Raven Hill knowing it was the safest place for me. I went there to take a risk, to help save my brother if it turned out to be a trap. And I nearly died for it, but if I went back in time, I’d do it again. Kili’s not to bright, that one, so I know he wouldn’t have survived it.”

Sigrid laughed quietly. “You two pick on each other like Tilda and I do.”

“We’re brothers. It’s how we show each other we think about one another and love each other.”

They were silent, Sigrid rolling her ankles to stretch them out a bit more, before she spoke. “Fili?”

“Mmm?” He was looking around them, as if determining which door to try. “I would like it if you braid my hair, very much.”

That got his attention. He snapped his head in her direction so quickly, that she was sure his neck had creaked. “You would?” His voice was hopeful, but hoarse, as if he did not wish to get his dreams too high before she crushed them. “But your father-”

“You are right. Life is full of risks. And I do not think I will regret the decision if I were to go back, either. Mostly because I know if I go back in time, I’d likely screw up asking you to braid my hair.” But Fili was grinning so brightly, it made her heart hurt that she did not ask sooner. The prospect of braiding her hair made him so happy that he seemed to glow.

“I can do it right now, if you’d want?”

“We have nothing better to do than wander around.” He chuckled, but she turned so that her back was facing him. And he immediately began untying the ribbon holding her braid in. As he worked, his hands ran through her hair.

“I’ll make it easy to hide, should you change your mind with your father,” Fili spoke gently, and he pushed some of her hair aside before she felt him begin to tug on strands to braid.

Still, she could feel his grin from behind her. “I’m sorry I did not ask this of you sooner. I had no idea it would make you so happy.”

“Of course it does. A braid means that you’re officially accepting me as your partner.” Sigrid raised an eyebrow.

“And seeing you every week for the past six months meant what exactly?”

“That you fancied me.” She laughed quietly. “It’s… different from human culture. It just means a lot that you wish to have my braid and bead in your hair. It’s… showing the world that you care for me and don’t care for what others think.”

“Well, of course I care for you. I don’t just hang out with dwarves for good luck.” Fili laughed and Sigrid felt a warm smile fill her face. “In fact, I more than care for you, Fee. I really do love you.”

The hands paused in her hair and she wondered if perhaps she had said it too soon. “Is it normal in human culture for people to profess their love before they’re betrothed?”

She winced. “I take it that’s uncommon in dwarf culture. I’m sorry-”

“I’m just curious.”

“You say it usually around the time you mean it,” Sigrid admitted after a minute of hesitation. “I’m not really good at this dwarf stuff.”

“I think you’re doing great for having me not explain everything like I probably should have. But I like this natural pace of things instead of guidelines. It’s very refreshing.” She bit her lip, and his fingers began working in her hair again. “For the record, I love you too.”

“You do?”

“Mmmhmm.” He finished the braid, and she heard the sound of a metal clip at the end of a piece of hair. It was hidden under her down hair, and she wondered if it looked like any of his. “I do very much.”

Sigrid turned back to face him, and she stared at him with hope. “I’ll tell my father as soon as I get back tomorrow.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That I love you?”

“Everything.” His rough hand came up and caressed her cheek, and he gave her one of his blinding smiles again. She held her breath as he guided her closer before his lips were on hers. She had never kissed him before - a few boys when she was a child, sure - but never him. But his lips were gentle, and his other hand came up to her other cheek, holding her close to him. And when he pulled away, she exhaled the breath she had been holding, before sucking in another one sharply. “Except, maybe that.”

Fili chuckled. “Probably for the best.”

The sound of footsteps, however, caused them to spring apart, standing. And torchlight appeared just a second before the King himself did.

“Uncle!” Fili said in surprise. “I suppose Kili put you up to this.”

“That and the footsteps I saw leading in this direction, after many turns.”

“Footsteps!” Fili cried. “Why didn’t I think of following our footsteps in all this dust?”

“Because you insisted you knew the way out,” Sigrid muttered to herself, and Fili heard, giving her a playful glare. “We’re really sorry, uncle-” Her eyes widened as she realized what she said, and King Thorin raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I mean, Thorin - King! King Thorin. I’ve been hanging around Fili all day and he tends to refer to you only as Uncle and- I’m very sorry-”

“Why?” Thorin glanced towards Fili, rolling his eyes. “I don’t know who you’re trying to fool, but you aren’t discreet when you leave the gates. I know of everything that goes on in this city.” Sigrid gave a weak smile. Oh… uh huh? “And if I had not noticed you courting, then I would have been a blind old man.”

“I prefer to think of you as seasoned beef,” Fili spoke up, stepping beside Sigrid. “Rotting in the right light, but quite tasty once you dive in.”

Thorin sighed as if Fili caused him more worries than his kingdom. “I take it you two are lost and require assistance back to the great hall.”

“Please,” Sigrid sighed, just as Fili insisted, “No, Uncle, we’ve just been exploring.”

“We’re lost,” Sigrid explained. “Kili gave him bad directions.”

Thorin glanced to Fili, confused. “He knows these halls quite well. Do you need to be checked by healers, Fili?”

Sigrid rounded on him, wide-eyed. “What? We had fun,” Fili insisted. “Besides, who knew it would be so unexpected at the end?”

“I even defended you, blaming this on Kili, because you said he gave you the directions.”

“Oh.. that’s right, Kili said west, where the good men rest. Not feast. Silly me-”

“Fili!” Sigrid gasped in astonishment, before she started giggling. “I’ve half a mind to give you an ear full.”

“He certainly deserve it,” Thorin sighed. “Come. I’m sure you’re not only hungry, but tired. You’ve both had a long day, and Lady Sigrid needs to be returning to Dale in the morning.”

“What time is it, your Highness?” Sigrid asked, confused.

“Past dinner.” Her eyes widened in shock as he turned, moving down the hall. The young couple hurriedly followed. “There is no need to call me ‘your Highness’, Lady Sigrid. Thorin or Uncle will do. You’ve practically become family.”

“Oh… um, thank you… “ She cleared her throat. “Uncle Thorin. Sigrid’s fine.”

She flushed as he chuckled. “I suppose that’ll do, Sigrid.”

She did not leave at first light, like she usually did. Instead, she settled in for breakfast, Fili not even leaving her side for a second, as Fili happily kept her in a conversation with not only himself, but also his brother Kili and Thorin. Admittedly, she had not had much of a conversation with either of them, but found that Kili was much more wild and a jokester than his own brother - which she thought a feat in itself. And Thorin was much more broody, but his nephews seemed to light him up more than she had ever heard him.

Fili gave her his customary hug as she saw the horse and cart she was to take back. Fili’s insistence that she couldn’t simply walk back. Not after all the walking she had done yesterday.

“Next time, we’ll explore the mines and forges.”

“I think exploring is your word for pretend to be lost.”

“Of course it is. Exciting things happen when you think you’re lost.”

She giggled. “Alright. But do stay out of trouble while I’m gone. I feel like that is something that needs to be said after today.”

“No getting lost? Now where’s the fun in that.”

“The fun is being somewhere I can find you when I’m back next week.”

“Perhaps sooner. The population is growing here, you know. We may need to see you twice a week now.”

“And spend nearly four days here? That’s much too long. I don’t think I could stand it.” But Sigrid’s tone was teasing and he kissed her cheek with a quick motion. “Be careful.”

“There’s no orcs out there anymore.”

“You never know.”

She parted from him after a lingering kiss, and then settled herself on the cart, before kicking the horse in the direction of Dale. She took her time to get home, stopping at the market with the few pieces of silver that she was given after every trip to Erebor as proof of transaction, plus a small pouch of gold that would go to her father. And it was only after she lingered there for a while that she returned home.

“Did anything exciting happen?” Bard questioned his daughter nearly as soon as she walked into the door. Honestly, she had no expected him to be home so soon in the day. He usually had to tend to helping a few people rebuilding homes in the ruined city.

Sigrid hesitated as she set down the basket full of cheese she had picked up in the market with her pay. “Well, yes actually.” Bard started. Every time he asked that question, whenever he first saw her after a trip, the answer was always a hurried no and she would leave to go tend to something she managed to forget to do. “I got lost in the halls while having a look around.” Bard raised an eyebrow. “And King Thorin stumbled upon me and helped me get back to the chambers. And I learned that Prince Fili’s mother is actually quite fond of me, and I’m courting Prince Fili?”

The last part came out in a rush and Bard raised an eyebrow as he turned away from the lantern he was lighting to look at her. Tilda was staring at Sigrid wide-eyed, as if in disbelief, and Bain looked a little alarmed as well. Sigrid was shifting uneasily the longer her father stared at her, and she looked so much like her mother, when her mother did something embarrassing, that Bard had to do a double take.

“I see.” He pulled out a chair from the table, sitting, and nodded for her to sit as well. She did so almost instantly. “And just how long has this been going on? Since you began asking to go volunteer?”

“Er, no. Not exactly. Since I would go with the healers to the city and help tend to his wounds from the battle. So, since… about two weeks after battle?” Bard noticed that she seemed pretty unsure about her answers, as if she expected them to send him into an angry rant on dwarves. He had mostly done it for her benefit, to see how long she continued the charade of simply volunteering to run the carts to the gate, instead of actually seeing a dwarf she was infatuated with. And yet she hadn’t cracked in any of them. At least she had his stubbornness.

“And you’ve kept it from me all this time?” He glanced to Bain and Sigrid. “No doubt you two were aware.”

“She made us swear not to tell,” Bain insisted, as if it would save his skin. “She said that she had to tell you herself.”

Bard sighed, glancing to Sigrid. “I don’t like dwarves, Sigrid.”

“I know,” she said quietly. “But he’s not like the others. He’s really not that pig-headed or rude or anything. He’s one of the quieter ones. The blonde one, who’s brother, Kili, was the one injured in our house?” Bard remembered. Once he knew who it was, he had asked around on who the name most closely resembled. He had not met them up close since that day, he just met with the King Under the Mountain to discuss the rights to live in Dale while Laketown was rebuilding - but they had been given both lands.

“He’s the oldest or the youngest Prince?”

“Oldest.”

Bard raised an eyebrow. “And does the King Under the Mountain know about this?”

“Yes… erm, it’s actually because of Kili that we got lost in the halls of Erebor… His brother thought it would be funny to give him the wrong directions, so when the King stumbled upon us trying to find a way out of the endless halls, he… he had known previously, yes.” Sigrid felt it was a bad idea to mention that Fili had gotten them lost on purpose.

Bard had to stop himself from grinding his teeth together in annoyance. An unsupervised date into the dark halls of Erebor, where they could have done heaven knows what. “I likely would have been upset, if I had not found out two months ago from a group of stone workers that came back from the mountain. I overheard them talking about a human girl and the dwarf Prince walking together, and holding hands. To my knowledge, you were the only human girl that was going to Erebor with supplies.”

Sigrid paled. “You knew?”

“Six months is a long time to keep it quiet.”

“I … I know, I’m sorry. I just… thought that it would be something you’d prevent.”

Bard sighed. “No, I won’t prevent it. If their King can approve of it, as he’s the one that’s far more stubborn than I, then I suppose I can as well.” Sigrid’s eyes widened in surprise, and he could see the grin lighting up her face. “But he must come here so I may meet him myself… properly, this time.”

“Oh, of course!”

“Shall I sign you up for the next delivery?”

Sigrid rose from her chair, coming around the table to hug her father tightly. “Oh, thank you, Da! I do really mean it.”

“As long as he treats you well.”

“Oh, he does. He really does.”

“And you care for him?”

Sigrid nodded earnestly, pulling away from her father. “I love him, I really do. He’s wonderful, Da. You’ll see.”

Bard refrained from showing her his surprise at her words. Love? So quickly. Sigrid was not one to partake in childish day dreams, so perhaps it was not as much of a farce as he had previously thought. But he gave a nod. “Then bring him around when he’s available. I’m sure he’s busy.”

“Probably, but I know he wants to meet you officially too.”

Bard frowned as he caught sight of her hair. “Your hair’s down.”

“And there’s something in it!” Tilda exclaimed helpfully. Sigrid winced, running her hand through her hair and finding the braid. She showed it to her father. 

“It’s a courting braids. Dwarves do them… It’s hard to explain really. But I just got it yesterday, and all it really means is that we’re courting. That’s all-”

“I see.” Bard said slowly. “I definitely look forward to meeting this dwarf that puts beads in your hair.”

Sigrid nodded, chewing on her lip as she moved towards the basket. “I have cheese, though.”

Bard wasn’t convinced the topic change was purely organic. She was quickly changing the topic quickly to avoid talking about Fili. “What kind?” he asked, entertaining her.

But it wasn’t until nearly ten minutes later, after a block of cheese had been served for a snack, that Sigrid asked. “What’s the sigil of Girion?”

Bard raised an eyebrow. “Two arrows crossed… why?”

“Just curious. That’s our house and I’ve never seen it before.”

Bard wasn’t convinced. Not for a minute.


End file.
